Work on design briefs for a range of industry clients. Past organisations have included Jaguar Land Rover, Dremel Bosch, Omlet and Virgin Marussia Formula 1. Take part in exhibitions and grow your network at industry presentations.

Graduate with the skill and confidence to create innovative products and build a successful career in the creative industries.

Where can it take me?

As a graduate, your in-depth understanding of technology, sustainability and materials will equip you for a range of careers.

Most of our graduates go into product development roles for design consultancies, or join in-house design teams for manufacturers and major brands.

Many are inspired to launch their own products or establish themselves as freelance design consultants.

Take a look at our online yearbook of student projects from our architecture and product design courses.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year one

You will study:

Product Design Studio 1

Mechanisms and Structures

Design Communication

Graphic Design

Design in Context.

Year two

You will study:

Product Design Technology Studio 2

Product Design Engineering

Product CAD

Materials and Processes

Physical Computing.

Placement year (if applicable)

If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after year two.

You'll complete a placement learning module during this time.

See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.

Final year

You will study:

Individual Project Product Design

Design Research Methods

Product Design Studio 3

Mechanical Design.

Plus one optional module from:

Design in Practice

Industrial Placement.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

Learning and Teaching

Our lecturers all have years of professional practice within the design industry. Along with an emphasis on hands-on learning, this gives the course professional practice focus that will prepare you for your career in design.

The course is project-led and taught mainly in studios. Apply your new knowledge to diverse projects that solve human-centred problems through design practice.

Focus on learning technical skills such as using computational stress analysis to design the structure of products.

Get intensive one-to-one mentoring with tutors for practical guidance on your work. Attend guest lectures with professional designers and receive help with your CV and interview skills from our partner organisations.

Lay a foundation in professional design skills including 3D design, sketching, concept generation, presentations, computer-aided design (CAD) and practical workshops. Gain an understanding of people and their complex emotional relationships with products.

Learn about human-centred design, co-design and innovative design processes, materials and manufacturing and form and aesthetics development.

Work on a range of studio projects with real companies (Brabantia, Dremel, Bloodhound and Piper Moto). Research, develop and create a product that will demonstrate your skills in the design area you'd like to grow in.

Professional accreditation

Placements

Students who get work experience tend to graduate with better degrees. Experience also hones your skills, industry knowledge and professional network, making you highly employable on graduation.

If you choose the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after year two.

We have placement opportunities in the UK and Europe, US and China. Past students have worked for in-house design teams, consultancies and manufacturers such as Opel cars, Disney, Omlet, Kinneir Dufort, Trunki, Mathmos and Mira Kohler.

You'll get help to find your placement and support throughout from department staff and our award-winning careers service.

Fieldwork

We arrange day trips so you can visit study locations and meet people that can inform your work. We also arrange residential field trips locally, nationally and internationally.

Many graduates have launched their own products or established themselves as freelance design consultants.

We have strong links with local companies who provide graduate jobs. Most of our graduates go straight into product development roles for design consultancies or join in-house design teams for manufacturers and major brands.

Indicative Additional Costs

Supplementary fee information

The additional costs listed are those that students could reasonably expect to incur during their studies and are for items not covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, text books, travel, clothing, software or printing.

For information about funding for undergraduate courses see our funding pages.

Typical offers

Tariff points: 112

GCSE: For all applicants, Grade C/4 or above in English Language and Mathematics, or equivalent. Please note the University does not accept Level 2 Key Skills, Functional Skills or Certificates in Adult Numeracy and Literacy as suitable alternatives to GCSEs.

A-level subjects: One from the following: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Computing/Computer Science, Design and Technology, Electronics, Engineering, ICT, Maths/Further Maths, Music Technology, Physics, Product Design, Statistics. You can include points from A-Level General Studies and AS-Level subjects (not taken onto full A-Level) towards overall tariff. You must have at least two A-Levels.

Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; to include 15 level 3 credits at merit in one of the following: Art; Design and Technology; Mathematics; Product Design; or similar.

Baccalaureate IB: To include a pass at higher level in one of: Design Technology; Mathematics; Visual Arts; or similar

Entry requirements

This course is for those without specialist mathematical and scientific expertise and education beyond GCSE but who, nonetheless, have a strong interest in technology and desire to pursue a career in this area.

We recognise the individual nature of each application and our typical offer should be viewed as a guide. UWE Bristol welcomes interest from applicants who may not have the standard entry requirements. We will consider evidence of your relevant personal, professional or educational experience where it demonstrates an ability and potential to succeed on the course. Please include details of any relevant experience in your application.

If you don't meet the entry requirements of this course, you may be eligible for Foundation Year entry into this or other related degree courses.

Applicants who have successfully completed an Arts Foundation course are welcomed.

If you receive an offer for this course, you may be invited to attend an Offer Holder Day in February or March. These are a great opportunity to find out what it's really like to study here. You'll experience taster lectures or workshops, meet your course tutors, current students and other offer holders.

In addition to the 'typical offer' given here, please read the general information about entry requirements.

Advice on submitting a portfolio

Once UWE Bristol has received your UCAS application, applicants who do not meet our standard entry requirements may be asked to provide a 10-20 page online portfolio of their design work.

Once we have received the links (URLs) to your portfolio, Product Design lecturers will review your application and portfolio. We may also ask applicants for a telephone interview, to discuss their applications and portfolios in more detail.

What to include in your portfolio:

Your portfolio should be a selection of your artwork, drawings, sketchbook pages, photographs, models, design work, etc, that reflect the range of your abilities, your creative process, and your interest in the course that you have applied for.

Your portfolio should include finished work, and also work in progress to show your working process, such as sketchbook work or development sheets.

It should include an introduction or cover page. Then the first project should be your best or most recent work.

It should definitely include hand drawing; both observational and ideation sketching.

Your portfolio is likely to be made up predominately of the Art or Product Design projects you have undertaken on your current or most recent course of study. We are also very interested in seeing projects, interests and passions outside of your school work.

It should visually communicate who you are, show what excites and interests you, what you consider to be good design, and why.

Staff are interested to see how your ideas and development work, these show how you think, much more than just the finished design.

If you feel you need some extra content, you could set yourself a one-hour design challeng'.

In general a portfolio is about visual communication rather than written communication. Try to minimise writing; where necessary add a title, and a few sentences for each image, explaining the project to a viewer.

Presentation is very important, a portfolio should be well organised, clear and well presented.

Your portfolio should show a high level of commitment to your studies and evidence of fundamental design skills. We are looking for enthusiasm for your chosen subject, strong visual communication skills, evidence of problem-solving, clear working procedures showing the development of your ideas, experience in a range of different media and materials - 2D and 3D, and an awareness of contemporary designers and the history of design.

For more advice and examples, ask your current teacher or lecturer for assistance and web search keywords such as 'Product Design portfolios' 'Industrial Design portfolios' or 'how to make a product design portfolio'. Please don't feel intimidated by the high levels of skill and design ability shown in professional portfolios online, We don't expect applicants to match professionals as that's what you come to university to learn.

It takes a lot of time to prepare a good design portfolio and making one is a great learning opportunity; it showcases your ability and is very rewarding.

UWE Bristol's International College

If you are an international student and do not meet the academic or English language requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

English language support

If you meet the academic requirements but require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Students who successfully complete the pre-sessional course can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking an IELTS or equivalent.

If you have not received your exam results, your offer from UWE Bristol will be conditional and will be subject to you achieving the tariff points/grades required for your course.

If you have already satisfied the academic entry requirements of your chosen course, you are likely to be made an unconditional offer. Please note that UWE Bristol will only make unconditional offers if you have already achieved your qualifications.

To make sure our applicants are academically prepared for when they start their studies at UWE Bristol, we do not make unconditional offers to those that are still studying their Level 3 qualifications (such as A-levels, BTEC, Access or equivalent). We hope that this will encourage our applicants to value their academic achievements as much as we do.

How to apply

UCAS Extra: We welcome applications through UCAS Extra for this course between 25 February and 4 July 2019. We aim to give you a response to your application within 21 days.